Headline News
by Asagi Tsuki
Summary: Draco makes a bet with Rita Skeeter to see who is the better journalist.  While going around to find a piece of news that would make it to the front page, he caught the interest of an influential man instead


**Headline News**

By: Asagi Tsuki

Beta: ad_ieu

Pairing: Harry/Draco

Summary: Draco makes a bet with Rita Skeeter to see who is the better journalist. While going around, desperately trying to find a piece of news that would make it to the front page and catch the interest of a lot of people, he caught the interest of an influential man instead

Warning: OOCness, non-canon compliant

Disclaimer: obviously, Harry Potter is not written by me. If it were, it would be so lame, that this fandom would be non-existent. And I would be off writing another book instead of fanfics

A/N: got this idea while sitting down in a coffee shop, drinking my too sweet Caramel frappucino...

This isn't beta'd by my usual beta because she was beta-ing another work of mine :D

**Headline News**

If Draco could kill someone and make it look like a total accident, Rita Skeeter would be at the top of his hit list.

When he was old enough to attend a wizarding school, his mother had refused the letter from Hogwarts and instead sent him off to Beauxbaton. He hadn't understood why at that moment, wondering if his mother hated him enough to want to send him somewhere farther away. But when the War broke out, he finally understood why he was sent to France.

The war had ended two years ago, and it had been a year since his return to England. He had studied under an experienced journalist in France, working for the main news publication there. Naturally, when he returned to England, he applied for work as a journalist for the main publication there.

He was surprised, and not pleasantly so, when he saw that the headline news were nothing but rubbish made up by a woman named Rita Skeeter. He had cross-checked a couple of her articles, and found them to be total lies. He had hated her before he even met her then.

When the two met each other, it was a miracle the Third Wizarding War hadn't broke out. Draco saw her as a lying arsehole who bent every truth in favour of a sensational story, no matter how utterly rubbish it was. She also didn't care whether the good name and will of her victims were compromised, and that had made him dislike her even more than he already had.

Meanwhile, Rita saw Draco as competition, if only because he was persistent in finding news-worthy events. Also, she was aware that Draco had openly criticized her articles and had complained about it to their superior.

And now, in the wake of the nearly happening Third War, Draco found himself slumped on a table in Fortescue's while he groaned, wondering why the universe was so unfair.

"What have you gotten yourself into now?" Pansy, one of his childhood friends, asked as she rolled her eyes.

"I didn't get myself into anything!" Draco protested. "It's that bitch's fault!"

"What did she say?"

"Let me tell you the story."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"_So you're the prick who thinks he's better than everyone else."_

"_For your information, I only think I'm better than _you, _because you're a liar who breaks all codes of ethics a journalist should have!"_

"_How dare you! I've written a lot more headline news than you! You've never gotten to the front page before!"_

"_That's because you lied! If you hadn't, would you still be on the front page!"_

"_Is that a challenge!"_

"_Yes that's a challenge!"_

_After the screaming match continued for a couple more minutes, some of their fellow journalists had gathered to see what was happening, and Draco even caught someone writing down what was being said._

_He could only hope their fight didn't make it to the Prophet._

"_Why don't you settle it in a way all journalists should?" a fellow journalist suggested. "Whoever manages to write an article and gets it published in the front page without writing even _one_ lie or unconfirmed fact wins."_

"_Fair enough," Rita said. "And if I win, you have to quit your job."_

"_Fine!" Draco shouted back. "If I win, you'll have to quit your job, and believe me, I will do all I can to help those you have wronged before to build a case against you in a trial!"_

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"That's what happened," Draco finished with a sigh.

"Why don't you ask for an interview with Potter?" Pansy suggested. "It's a sure-fire way to get yourself to the front page. Plus, he doesn't like Skeeter as well, so he might be willing to help you out."

"Are you kidding me?" Draco asked with a snort. "He'll never agree to do an interview with me! I'm no one, Pansy. While he was busy defeating a Dark Lord I was busy proofreading my mentor's article to see if he made any typos!"

"Or you could ask your Auror friend for some news on the recent development of an important case."

"Neville?"

"Do you have any other Auror friend?" Pansy asked as she glared at Draco.

"No, but he's busy," Draco said, biting his lip.

"How did you become friends with him anyway?" Pansy asked curiously. "He's such a Gryffindor."

"Oh, have I never told you the story?" Draco asked. "I was walking up to the Minister during a Ministry function when that bitch Skeeter pushed me and very nearly trampled me too. He helped me up and told me all about her. That was before I knew her, I suppose."

"And you became friends because of mutual dislike towards her?"

"Something like that."

"You two are strange."

"Thanks."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

In the first four days, Rita had published two articles that made it to the front page, but Draco and his friends had picked at it and found out that there were half-truths and her own speculations there, so they didn't count.

However, it had frazzled Draco's nerves. He knew he had to do something drastic if he was ever going to beat her.

And it was with that thought that he steeled his resolve, and went to Knockturn Alley. He had taken Pansy's advice and visited Neville to see if he had time, but Neville said the latest case was confidential and that the next development could take weeks.

However, his visit to the Ministry building wasn't fruitless. He overheard someone saying that a suspicious activity related to drugs and other illegal Potions materials was sighted at Knockturn Alley. As an ex-Potions master apprentice—he worked as an apprentice before he became an assistant for a journalist—Draco was fairly certain he could identify those ingredients.

Also, if there really was, it could be his big break. He would finally defeat Skeeter and get her out of his hair for good.

So he knelt down in a secluded alley where the activity was said to be seen. He cast a Disillusionment charm on himself and waited. His wait was rewarded when a couple of cloaked men walked in. He turned around to get a better look at the men who gathered in a small circle at the dead end, and nearly screamed when someone tripped over him from behind.

"Who's there!"

Draco grabbed for his wand and was getting ready to Disapparate when curses and hexes flew from the entrance of the alley. In less than five seconds, all the men gathered there were bound and knocked unconscious.

"Draco!" Neville shouted as he walked into the alley. "What are you doing here?"

"Neville," Draco said, genuinely surprised. "I didn't know you were working on this case."

"I wasn't," Neville said as he glowered. "But one of my co-workers recognized you as a reporter from the Prophet and warned me that you might be trying something like this."

Draco could only grin sheepishly at him.

Two more Aurors walked up to them.

"What's the matter?" the redhead asked.

"Nothing. Just a lost kitten," Neville said, and stared sternly at Draco when he opened his mouth to speak up, causing him to sulk but keep silent nonetheless.

"Be careful next time," the dark-haired one warned. "You could have died."

"Thank you, Mr. Obvious," Draco said as he rolled his eyes. "Can I see?" he asked, motioning at the circle of unconscious men.

"Only if you help us identify the illegal ingredients."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

After the identification and capture of the wizards involved in the smuggling of illegal potions ingredients, the four had gone off for lunch before they returned to their office to write up the report. Neville had introduced Draco to his two friends, Ron and Harry, and Draco was surprised he hadn't recognized the hailed Saviour of the Wizarding World when he first saw him.

"Why were you there anyway?" Ron asked. "Are you trying to be some kind of war reporter?"

Draco scowled, then proceeded to tell them everything about his dislike towards Rita, the nearly broken out War, and the bet they had made.

"The deadline is two days from now, and I still haven't found anything yet," Draco said with a sigh. "I guess I'll just have to find a job with another publication."

"So you're trying to get her to quit?" Harry asked with a grin. "Tell you what; I'll do an interview with you. You can ask absolutely anything you want, and I will answer all your questions truthfully."

Draco's jaw dropped, but then he whooped, grinning in victory.

"Skeeter bitch, you're going down!"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

The next day, Draco finally got his article to the front page. It was an exclusive interview with the Boy-Who-Lived, and his life story was written there, bared for everyone to see. Harry had corrected everyone's misconception of his life before Hogwarts, and mostly the disaster of his Fourth Year when he was accused of everything bad by Rita.

Rita had wanted to pretend like she didn't know anything about the bet, but the editor-in-charge of the Daily Prophet had gotten word of their fight, and subsequently, their bet. And so, she was fired from her job because she lost the bet.

Draco was awarded for his persistence in finding only facts, and the Prophet had once more become the main and trusted publication for news in the Wizarding World.

Three months later, he was one of the editors for the Prophet.

Six months later, he hired someone to become his assistant while helping him write better articles.

One year later, his assistant's article made it to the front page for the first time.

The headline title was "Saviour of the Wizarding World and Saviour of the Daily Prophet—A Fling or True Love?".

**End Story**

Hope you enjoyed that :D if you do, do leave a comment coz I'm a comment whore :P


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